Whales Here, Unfrozen Brandy and Parts But Very Little Known: A Late 18th Century Benjamin Martin Globe

***The following is a guest blog post by my friend, and sometimes rival collector  Brian, as passionate a collector as I,  please enjoy***   

Benjamin Martin globe about 1780

  I have had quite a bit of luck lately finding globes from the late 1800s to early 1900s (although Kyle snapped up a few of them before I could get to them!) I am a classical musician but on the side I am an antique picker and collector who also loves globes (along with a number of other various interests including rare books, maps and prints). Globes are fantastic; I appreciate the ever-changing cartography and beautiful colors of the orbs and also the artistic elegance of various styles of mounts.  I have put them in my university office and have had many conversations about them with genuinely interested people.  This is not like my old collection of coins which simply sat in a closet waiting for the rare chance to come out when the subject of coin collections came up (pretty much never). Globes are well worth the hunt and for this post I decided to focus on one globe in particular.  

     I get really excited when I find a globe that has states with different shapes (like Dakota before it divided into North and South) or different names (like Indian Territory) but when continents are different shapes I get ecstatic.  Unfortunately, as many of you know it is difficult to own a middle 19^th century globe or anything earlier for a “pickers” price.  This last year I had the luck to acquire something I thought I would never get my hands on; a globe from the late 18^th century made by Benjamin Martin!   It is a twelve inch orb with a full mount and a brass meridian and although the globe has two small holes (in the ocean fortunately) and is missing a section of horizon ring along with the brass hour circle and pointer, the orb is in quite solid condition.  Others that I have seen for sale from this period are either super nice and therefore out of my reach price-wise or else in extremely rough condition and not worth the expense to restore.  I really enjoy researching the things I find and this globe has been no exception.  I am certainly not a globe expert but I do know how to do good research and thankfully, as a professor I have access to a worldwide system of libraries for free!  I have a number of times complained to Kyle that there really are almost no good reference materials out there that show actual details of globes.  Admittedly globes are difficult to photograph well and two dimensions on a page can hardly do them justice but it sometimes feels like there is a secret society of people who have this specific information and they don’t want to share it with others.  My goal here is simply to briefly provide some information about the maker and then share some decent pictures of the actual globe surface for other collectors’ enjoyment.

   The cartouche for this globe is interesting because it reads “MR. SENEX’S Terrestrial Globe/ Now drawn and improved/ according to the latest observations by/ JAMES FERGUSON/Made and Sold by/ BENJ. MARTIN Fleet Street London.”  Under the cartouche it says Thos. Bowen Sculp. While the globe manufacturing plates clearly passed through a line of makers, it is not always abundantly clear why events unfolded the way they did.  John Senex (1695-1740), a Fellow of the Royal Society (F.R.S) was a prolific and important map maker of high regard who also sold globes. It is safe to say that he was essentially the most highly regarded globe maker in England in the early 18 ^th century. In 1740 he passed away and his wife Mary Senex continued the business until 1757 when, for reasons unknown, she sold most of the plates and equipment to James Ferguson (1710-1776).  Ferguson used the plates for a few years until, presumably due to business difficulties; they finally transitioned to Benjamin Martin (1704/5-1782).  After Benjamin Martin died it is unclear what happened to the plates for some of his medium sized globes and it is presumed that they fell out of use because they were becoming obsolete. Some makers continued using Senex plates for pocket globes (Dudley Adams and later Lane) and larger globes (Dudley Adams) until the beginning of the 19^th century.  

Benjamin Martin was a maker to some degree and distributor of scientific instruments.  In the 1750s he expanded his Fleet Street business to include globe making.  It is important to note that Fleet Street was a significant center of printing and publishing in the 18^th century.  He was also a rather prolific author who wrote many books that relate to science and education and you can often find them for sale on Ebay. Specifically he wrote a book in 1762: The description and use of both the globes, the armillary sphere and the orrery which explained many things about geometry and the use of the various instruments to make calculations.  A competitor in 1757, Samuel Dunn claimed that his planispheres were cheaper and as good as globes and then another in 1764, George Adams  claimed to have made an “improved” globe.   Martin was quick to discredit the instruments and denigrate their makers with insults in essays and appendices to his books.  Although the large catalogues published by his business indicate that his endeavors were to some degree successful, he ran into difficulties in the late 1770s and then became bankrupt in 1782, the year of his death.  This general information can be found in a number of places online but I want to give credit to the book Globes at Greenwich: A Catalogue of the Globes and Armillary Spheres in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich by Elly Dekker (1999).  Specifically pages 489-495 (Senex), 332-335 (Ferguson), 409-412 (Martin)  This tome is a treasure trove of information on English globe making but the one problem for those who do not have access to interlibrary loan  is that it retails used for between $300-600!  There is also a book Benjamin Martin, Author, Instrument Maker and ‘Country Showman’ by John R. Millburn (1976) which has four pages specifically relevant to his globe making (101-104).

I wanted to try to figure out as narrow a range as possible for the construction of my globe and I found in the Dekker book that the National Maritime Museum has a Martin globe very similar to mine which they date as pre-1770 because it does not make mention of Captain Cook’s Voyages.  My globe does show the first two of Cook’s voyages which ended in 1775 so it wouldn’t be earlier than 1775-6.  Cook was killed in Hawaii in 1779 but news of this would not have reached England until a bit later and it would take a little longer to update gores and produce new globes.  Based on the cartography and the routes of various explorers mentioned and since Martin died in 1782 it seems reasonable to conclude that it wouldn’t date much later than that.  One last piece of information actually comes from the damage to my globe.  Ideally there would not be holes in the orb, but the holes provide access to the interior where I was able to snake in a small light and get some photos with my Ipod camera.  Since the first layer of the orb is constructed of papier mâché, there were legible scrap pieces of almanacs pages all around the inside of the globe. Fortunately there were a few pages with dates at the top, the latest being 1778!   I am comfortable dating this globe then to somewhere between 1778 and 1782.  It is of course possible that it is from just a bit later but I have not been able to find another one anywhere that has the same surface as mine. 

The North American Continent: The primary thing makes this globe so exciting to me is that it dates to just after the American Revolution.  The original colonies are represented with borders delineated as per their charters; the United States in its infancy.  It is also interesting that Indian tribe names are prevalent all the way to the east coast and what is now Michigan is labeled Six Nations in reference to the Iroquois Confederacy.  Walker’s Settlement appears in the Kentucky area and was named after Dr. Thomas Walker who was one of the earliest explorers of that region.  I had never heard of him before but he is partly responsible for the first log cabin constructed in Kentucky and whose exploration preceded Daniel Boone (who is more famous and who I have heard of) by approximately 17 years.  To the west of the Mississippi it is essentially blank with almost nothing mentioned other than a few rivers.  The west coast is quite rough and aside from the label and description of New Albion the only specific places named are inlets and islands.

The African continent: “This country is scarce known to any of the Europeans” is a comment found in north-central Africa and yet borders and regions seem to be quite clearly delineated.  I almost feel like globes from the 18^th century do a better job of simply marking most of central Africa as unexplored or unknown with only a few countries or regions around the coast delineated.  One of my favorite features on many globes from this period till about 1850 is the fictitious range of mountains strung across the middle of the African continent called Mountains of the Moon which were the supposed source of the Nile based on Ptolemy’s works.  While these mountains are not depicted on this globe, there are mountains in the south-east named Back Bone of the World.  Many of these false mountain ranges persisted in maps even towards the turn of the century!  Old-world and outdated racial designations are found in various parts of Africa as well such as the “Land of the Caffers” and Negroland (which sounds like some sort of amusement park).  It is interesting to see how quickly maps of the United States from 1780 to 1880 fill in with details and new states, especially when compared to maps of Africa from the same time period. 

The Search for the Northwest Passage: Lots of people died or disappeared trying to find a trade passage to Asia.  Europeans were searching for a water route through the interior of the continent but found that there was no such navigable route.  The next option then was to try to go over the North American continent through the arctic waters.  The area between North America and Asia on this globe is still full of interesting comments about discoveries and geographical traits.  De Gama’s Land which was mentioned in the accounts of his voyages is found here and represented as a partial, speculative coastline with a note that he saw this coast on a trip from China to New Spain.  I love that everything north of Washington State is a vague outline of the shape of Alaska! The progression of updates through the Senex plates is much like watching a projector come into focus as explorers progressively provide more and more details of the region. 

James Cook’s Voyages:  A few years ago I read through the Journals of Captain Cook and I was fascinated.  Some consider his voyages to be the end of the “exploring the globe to find new continents and lands” phase of exploration.  Certainly there were still some small islands to be discovered and the mapping of the Antarctic continent was not completed, attention was directed more at exploring the unknown interiors of the continents, especially of Africa, Australia and South America.  Crazy to think this globe could have been in a shop being created even as Cook was pulling stunts (like kidnapping the King of Hawaii) that finally got him shot and killed in 1779.

Holes:  I wanted to include at least one image of the interior of the globe so you can see the almanack pages (the old spelling is used inside this globe) as well as the wooden brace that runs through the middle of the globe.  Right about in the middle of the image you can see that there was something related to the Covent-Garden Playhouse that was going to take place on the 13^th Day of September, 1778. 

Whales and Unfrozen Brandy:  There is a comment near Greenland that states, “Brandy Freezes by the fire” and another in Baffin Bay that says simply, “Plenty of Whales here”.  These are the types of annotations that are simply no longer found on globes in the 20^th century. 

South America:  There is a big green region in the middle of South America that is described as “Country of the Amazons” with a little note below which reads, “These Parts are but very little known”.   

The Analemma: On this globe, the analemma is surprisingly rectangular and pasted on separately just to the west of Mexico.  It  actually covers up the names of a few places.  I believe analemmas were just starting to become standard on globes at this point in time in part thanks to Benjamin Martin.  

The Wind Rose: The Wind Rose or Compass Rose (which marks the 32 directions of the wind) in the Atlantic is beautiful and reminiscent of the portolan style maps of earlier times.  This is another item feature that slowly became extinct on later globes.  You might still find a Rose on a globe; however the lines extending from it won’t be there. Even though they could decorate the libraries of the wealthy and provide anecdotal geographical information for armchair explorers, globes from this period were meant to be used as instruments to aid with navigation.  If you were to get on a ship from Europe in the 18^th century and embark for the exciting New World, the guy in charge of getting you there needed one of these along with a bunch of charts and measuring instruments!  

The Solid Brass Meridian Ring:  The hand-carved markings on this ring are exquisite to say the least.  Of course most of this type of work is done by currently done by machines even though there are also brass carving artists in the world today.  It looks like it would take days to make all the markings required for one of these globes, especially if you consider the work required for the hour circle and pointer which are regrettably missing on my globe.  I’ll bet that if we could  go back in time and visit the shop where this work was being done in the 18^th century we would be absolutely impressed with how fast the work can be accomplished by workers who do this on a daily basis!  My plan is to take a few brass carving classes, obtain some raw stock, make some measurements and whip up a replacement in a few weeks (probably not!).

     Well, I hope you find this brief synopsis of my globe interesting and informative.  As I said above, I have not been able to locate any other copies of this exact globe online or in any of the standard reference works.  I feel it is important to share information for free so that collectors can become more knowledgeable in the field. If you are a large retail operation with years of experience then you have likely seen a large number of globes and the reference books that go with the trade but if you are a smaller collector, information can be quite scarce.   I have other pictures of the entire surface of the globe that I would be happy to provide if asked.   Thanks again to Kyle who invited me to come up with a post for his blog; it was a pleasure! 

Brimfield .......a guide

     Well it's early spring again in the northeast, and with spring my thoughts turn to all of the great antiques shows that will be happening from now until the weather turns cold again. Top on my list is Brimfield.  If you don't know what Brimfield is well, you probably need to get off this blog now because ....really...!!??    Seriously, Brimfield despite being a great small hamlet in south central Massachusetts,  refers to the tri-annual antiques mecca that crops up along route 20 in the town by the same name every May, July and September.
     With the May 2017 show ready to kick off in just 3 short weeks I thought I'd provide my take on this antique event.   Now Brimfield has many fans, as well as many foes. I'm a fan and I'll explain why.  The show is huge spread out over a mile and consisting of about 20 different separately run shows all along the same stretch of road, it's antiques paradise.  Now I love it because there is so much to see, so many different varieties of items, mostly it's old stuff, and true antiques.  Are there repros and fakes, absolutely.  Just like eBay crawls with junk there's plenty of that to be seen and avoided at Brimfield.  However with that said, it's hard to think of anywhere else that you will see so many treasures in one place.
     I love the fact that in a place like Brimfield knowledge is currency, for that exact reason many others will hate it, but for that reason alone I love it!  If you don't like crowds, or weather, or can't be bothered learning anything then stop now, and don't waste time or money going because you will hate it..  If you love the hunt ( I do!!!) and you are knowledgeable, and you understand what buyer beware means then please go, look, buy and soak it all in because in this country it gets no better for the antiques hunter than Brimfield.

All these globes, at just one dealer's booth

     OK lets slice and dice this show a bit, when is the best time to go....?  I know plenty of people who hit this thing 3 times a year.  Let's say you cant and you need to pick one.  Here are some observations.  The May show is arguably the biggest, it's been more than 6 months since the last Brimfield and the May show kinda opens the year for all of the antiques vendors in the northern tier of the country.  From May til September there will be shows weekly somewhere in the eastern US so this is the first and biggest,  translation: the freshest merchandise!  The downside to May is the weather it will be cooler, and there's a chance for rain more often in May than some other months.  July features hot humid weather, and antique pickers have been active in the northeast for a few months, rain will be less of a factor but thunderstorms this time of year are frequent but short lived.  September Brimfield is pleasant weather usually, and not as hot ( remember it's ALL outdoors)  Is the merchandise as fresh...? Probably not it's probably been shown at several shows by now being after Labor day but it's still plentiful that's a given. Some say the September show is a bit smaller,  yeah probably....
     OK so you've decided when to go,  now  where do you stay?   Brimfield the town is not large, the closest town with hotel rooms is Sturbridge MA  after that it's Auburn MA to the east and Springfield to the west.  I'm going to list my top 3 lodging choices, understand I travel 6 hours one way to get here and I like comfort...A LOT..!
1. In Southbridge MA about 20 minutes south of Brimfield you'll find the Southbridge Hotel and   Conference center  This is not the closest but it is the nicest place to stay and it will cost less than some lesser quality hotels closer to Brimfield.  My first choice

2. In the Holyoke/ Chickopee MA ( west of town) area there are quite a few mid range national chains they are 20 minutes from Brimfield with the added bonus of being near quite a few decent places to eat. Think Hampton INN, and Homewood suites  that level of accommodation

3. East of Brimfield is Wooster/ Auburn MA  : these locals are 30 minutes or so away and will be national mid range chains

Finally,  Sturbridge MA is 10 minutes or so from Brimfield and their few hotel selections are very pricey during show weeks, think double or triple the other 49 weeks of the year, I just can't recommend staying here. Not to mention the Sturbridge hotels are iffy on the quality, in my opinion anyhow.

     Brimfield is a near week long marathon of  20 different shows some start on Tuesday, and run all week some like the famous J+J show run only two days  so if you don't have a week to spend then whats the best game plan.  Well I'm going to lay out 3 different plans of attack, for those spending 1, 2, or 3 days at the show.

First up lets say your like me and you love antiques, not just globes but you appreciate other antiques as well, so you're willing to take a few days off and spend 3 days at the show.  I recommend then arriving Tuesday evening, check in to your hotel and gear up for a VERY early morning Wednesday.  Come 5am or so Wednesday be out the door and traveling to Brimfield because Wednesday will be packed with opening day on 3 different show fields.
     New England Motel  opens op their show field at 6AM  so the early bird gets the worm, 400 dealers await, park your car here, it's central to your Wednesday schedule,  browse this field for 2 hours, whatever you buy hustle it to your car, by 8am......because.......

At 9 am the second field opens Heart O the Mart,  This is another 400 dealers so now it will have been 800 different dealers all in the span of less than 4 hours.

12 noon brings the third and final show opening of this busy Wednesday Hertans antique field opens with over 150 fresh dealers, bringing your Wednesday total to nearly 1000 dealers.  Given the cost and logistics and other restrictions these shows weed out your fly by night wannabees  that populate a lot of run of the mill shows, they are a step up for sure.

OK day one is in the bag it's an early start but over by 2pm,  I usually head back to the hotel take a quick nap and grab a great meal , it will be early to bed but Thursday will not be the crack of dawn rising that Wednesday was....

Day 2, I arrive and park at May's field,  all the action will be in and around May's on Thursday.  Now I have to confess this is my favorite show field May's Brimfield  is a 500 dealer extravaganza, that opens 9am sharp, be aware that the show and it's parking lot are across the street from each other.  I just love the fact that at May's they have a higher standard, many of their dealers have been coming for years and years, they turn away dealers who don't offer the quality that they have been known for.  I hit the show right at 9 and by 11:30 I'm ready for lunch.
      This is the only opening on Thursday, the rest of the day you can hit one or two of the other fields that are open all week.  It's an early day really.

Day 3 starts early ( see a pattern)  this being Friday, the town sees an influx of early weekend starters from Boston, and New York the latter is only 2.5 hours away by car. J&J Brimfield  is the original and grandaddy of them all. They open their 2 day extravaganza today... This show opens at the very reasonable 8am.  This is considered by many to be the best dealers, the cream of the crop, I've had good luck here in the past so I can't argue with that.  Park right at the J&J show for $8  admission Friday is $5

The 7am crowd ready to " rush" the J&J field

Well if you have 3 days that's my recommended itinerary.  You see maximum fresh antiques and you avoid the lookey loos that infest the place on the weekend.   I'm a firm believer that the serious buying, and the best selection is during the week by the weekend it's leftovers.

Now what if you have only 2 days .  Well I'd still follow day 1, and 2 from above and I'd cut out the Friday show,  you still see 80% of what the 3 day person sees, one long day followed by a shorter day not a bad plan.

What if I can only spare one day to get to the show,  well in that case your probably a casual buyer,  and I have an alternate itinerary for you.  Hit the show early ( like by 8 am) Sunday.  Browse all you can in that one day.  I recommend Sunday if you only have one day because maybe just maybe on Sunday you can drive a harder bargain especially on a larger item like furniture that's hard for a dealer to pack and transport.

     Well that's my down and dirty take on the Brimfield experience.  It's been almost 2 years since I have been. I'll be following the 3 day itinerary this year. Last time I left many good deals on the show field because I had/ have a tendency to pull the trigger rather slowly I love to research sometimes you gotta go with your gut.  Brimfield is a gut shopper type place.....hope to see some friends there.....

A globe display at my local library

     This month at my local library I was given the chance to setup a display of some of my globe collection.  I filled two glass cabinets with an interesting mix of small globes and related ephemera.

    The whole month of April people will be able to learn a bit about the history of globes.  Riveting stuff to be sure, will anyone even care....?  Well perhaps I will spark just one persons' interest in collecting. Besides what good is a collection if it sits collecting dust in a dark closet.  These items are meant to be shared,  thats my opinion anyhow.  So check out my pics and tell me what you think.  Quite a fun project to participate in and all positive feedback so far !   Space limitations allowed for only about a dozen or so smaller globes but this representative sample spanned over 100 years of globe manufacture from 1846 to 1950 .
 

Denoyer Geppert 4 inch Pupils' globe...... a tiny treasure

     A few months back I lost out on a near perfect example of the Denoyer Geppert 4 inch globe.  Back then I lamented that I lost an auction for a measly 4 cents!
     Well serendipitously I managed to procure an even better example of this great globe, complete with the original box and original reorder insert.

Here's a great little item that I think enjoys a place in any globe collection.  This is Denoyer Geppert's entry into the lucrative student market, a la 1928 or so.  A 4 inch tin globe mounted on an adjustable 1/2 meridian. The whole thing stands less than 6 inches high, the base has written tips and ideas for use written in orange.  The idea behind this was that for 50 cents each every student in class would be provided with their own globe and would follow along at their desk with the teacher who would be operating from a larger, presumably 12 or 18 inch Denoyer model of her own.
     This globe is advertised as superior to pasteboard, or cardboard models such as those offered by Rand McNally, and Weber Costello, because being ALL METAL it can stand up to the rigor of the classroom better.  I've never handled this model globe before but I was struck by how heavy it was, the metal is far thicker than the tin globes J Chien manufactured at the same time, this would not dent nearly as easily as on of those.
     This little globe is probably new old stock, it was probably in the estate of an educator who never got around to using this one. It's in as good a shape as anything made of metal that is 90 years old. There is no rust, next to no scuffs, and absolutely zero dents. Add in the box and the advert and it's a nice item to own.  I paid $215 plus shipping, certainly near the top of the market but I did not mind because for me the excellent condition warranted it.
     Some of you are going to look at this item and say, ......are you nuts, it's a toy...!!  Well no.....no it's not , at least Denoyer Geppert didn't market it that way in the 1920's.  At left is the original insert, on the other side are the assembly instructions for this globe.
     Denoyer Geppert is a sometimes overlooked player on the globe landscape, headquartered in Chicago, like most late 19th to 20th century globe makers they don't get the attention they deserve.  A fellow blogger Andrew Clayman has written what I would consider The most in depth article about Denoyer Geppert that I have ever run across. I urge you to follow the link and check it out.  As always thank you and please don't hesitate to comment below.

Restoring a globe professionally, a conversation with Matthew W. Jones of Green Dragon Bindery

    

 I receive quite a few emails related to restoration and conservation.  Many people it seems are curious about a lot of the same questions. namely, where do I go to have a globe restored? Or what's involved?  More detailed questions also follow me, and I'll tell ya, I really don't know all that much about globe restoration because I've had exactly zero globes restored in my 10 years as a collector.  So why is that?  Well partly it is because I try to seek out globes that are not in need of restoration, also the range of globes I have so far added to my collection are not generally rare enough or hard enough to find in an acceptable unrestored condition. That will change as I seek older globes so nows a great time to learn some more.
     When it comes to restoration I think it's important to go into the process with eyes wide open, and to facilitate that understanding I've called in an expert.  Matthew Jones is a professional who's specialty is globes, he has worked at The Green Dragon Bindery in Shrewsbury Massachusetts since 1993.  As a graduate of U Mass ( 1991) he has a childhood love of all things old,  I think many of us can relate.  He has tackled more than 500 antique globes in his 25 years at the Bindery he does everything from wood and metal work to restoring old paper, and varnish.  Below we delve into the questions most commonly encountered on this blog.


1. What makes a globe a good candidate for restoration?

Desire, rarity, personal or family history, and sometimes historical elements.

For years, my ideal globe was an 18 inch W.&A.K. Johnston terrestrial from 1907.

It was pre-WWI and showed the countries, provinces and territories as they were before the Treaty of Versailles changed it all. This is an era of history I read a lot in, so this globe is a natural reference.

2.  Conversely, are there factors that make a globe not a good restoration candidate?

Yes, the better the original condition and more untouched, the better the restoration. Amateur restorations and touch ups make my job harder, less attractive and more expensive. Sometimes, a globe can get really cooked too. Sadly, a great many globes have spent times in damp basements, and burning hot attics. Excessive moisture damage or finishes peeling from heat can be a problem. There is a very fine line between old chippy vanish and a finish that is pulling away paper and destroying the cartographic imprint. Real structural damage is a challenge as well. So, if the globe has a dent or ponk, the smaller the better, and hopefully in a less detailed area like the ocean. Also, pre-1900 globes in the US tend to be better made than later ones. By 1930 the construction quality declined significantly. Later globes just don’t have good materials and are that much more difficult to restore convincingly and reasonably. There is a sweet spot in smaller globes made between 1890-1930, generally 3 inch to 10 inch. These are desirable for many reasons, not the least of which is display options.

 3.  Many people familiar with auto restoration talk of " over restoration ". Additionally many categories of antiques especially furniture are  adversely affected by restoration,  how are globes different?  Am I using the wrong word,  should I be saying conservation, instead of restoration?

Globes are in a weird place. Part map, part instrument, part furniture. Whenever possible, I only wax and polish the furniture. Collectors respect original finishes and patina. The metal (brass or iron) is often out of alignment and/or missing small parts. These, help keep the globe in place and spinning safely. I restore and replace brass parts all the time. I keep absolutely as much original material as possible. I have extensive photos, measurements and drawings of original parts. Raw, bent, crusty brass usually gets ultrasonically cleaned and straightened. If it’s just got a bit of tarnish, it can be left alone. Stay away from the buffing wheel and compounds. As for the orb itself with its plaster, paper, paints and varnish? I remove the varnish (or shellac, or lacquer, or sizing finish) only when it is filthy and ruins the maps use and beauty. My plan there is to bring the varnish back to a look, and feel that the globe might have had in its first 25-50 years of life. The founder of this book bindery Skip Carpenter and my father Bill Jones both restore antique automobiles. I get it.

Conservation usually means consolidation, as invisibly as possible without any additions or changes. Generally small amounts of archival materials are used here.

Restoration is conservation, with small changes to try and bring an object back to its original state. Generally, slightly larger amounts of archival materials are used. 

All things being equal, everyone wants a near perfect old globe. Then they want a solid, maybe dark, but untouched or barely touched globe. Then a cleaned but respectfully conserved and restored globe. Then a damaged but unrestored globe of note. Then a basket case, with previous amateur work.  Values reflect all these states. Collectors and institutions all seem to want legible globes.

     Here Matthew has provided photographs of  a rare James Wilson 9 inch globe that in addition to being quite darkened over time, suffered a pronounced ding to it's surface that affected not only the map but the plaster underneath. These photos show what is possible in the hands of an expert restorer.

Before Restoration

After restoration

Map gores carefully removed

 Notice in the after photo not only is the dent completely gone but the surface of the orb and horizon paper are clean, evenly toned, and remarkably more legible. Also the map colors as the globe maker intended come through. A far more desirable globe from a collecting standpoint.

 4.  What are the most common problems encountered with antique globes ,and

 how are they delt with?   

See above. Filth, grease stains, smoke damage, structural damage, bent or broken metal parts, lost parts or lost sections of paper. 

 5.   Some globes seem to be better survivors than others, in my mind Loring/Joslin falls into this category.  Were some globe better made? Or were there just so many more of some manufactured , and therefore  more survived?

Joslin/ Loring is a prime example of a well made and plentiful globe manufactured in Boston for almost 50 years. Good hardwoods, beautiful turnings, quality brass, and crisply printed cartography, updated with the changes of the time. Also, most if not all are clearly dated.

     Slightly later globes that are decent, are the imported Scottish Johnston’s which were leased out to many US based selling firms. The 18 inch Andrew’s pictured is a transitional globe, made by Johnston, sold by Andrew’s, who had just been purchased by Weber Costello. The one weak spot in these is often the horizon paper. Lesser quality paper, mounting and finishes leave these dark and chippy. I have a small number of accurate facsimiles for repair of these horizons, or replacement. 

      **IN these pictures notice the careful attention to the cartouche and close color matching.**

Cartouche before

Andrews 18 inch orb

Cartouche after

             

6.  How would a new restoration client go about having work done at Green Dragon Bindery?  Do you send detailed photos, and a description  of what work you'd like to have done?  Or do you send the globe in for estimating?

Email is a good start, with photographs of the globe in question in natural light. A few photographs focusing on the damaged areas and one of the cartouche showing the makers name.

info@greendragonbindery.com  508-842-8250 

and we are on Facebook as Green Dragon Bindery

 7.  What sets Green Dragon Bindery apart from others?

Love of the material, experience, reasonable rates and turn around times and artistic integrity.  We are also prepared to tackle a lot of different challenges. As long as its paper, pasteboard, leather or a small wooden object, we are ready and willing to restore it. If we can’t, we’ll say so.



**All photos in this post are used with permission of, and are property of The Green Dragon Bindery**

The globe collector market part 3: Neal Auction Company winter estate sale

     By now, if you've been a reader of this blog you will know that a lot of the fun, as well as the frustration collecting globes comes from the hunt !   Tracking down these treasures that we seek is a delightful challenge often involving sifting through the endless dross that is ebay.
     Once in a while, every couple of years or so a collection of exceptional globes will make it's way onto the auction stage. This is just what happened this past weekend at the Neal Auction Company in New Orleans.  Amongst the 600 plus lots that made up their Winter estate auction were a fine collection of antique globes, a dozen or so prime examples.  This was an excellent opportunity to find an exceptional globe for ones collection or as an auction observer , a great chance to gage the state of the market for antique globes.
     Below I want to highlight 5 globes from this sale so let's begin:

    Here we have an excellent example of a Joslin/ Loring full mount globe, in the more unusual 9.5 inch size this globe is in excellent preservation and shows off the best of the Boston globe maker's skill.   This example is dated at the cartouche as 1866, a great example of the USA just after the civil war and just before Alaska was being added to the union, in fact it is shown as Russian America on this globe This globe was hammered sold at $2100  plus buyers premium. A fine example, and a respectable price for this globe.





To the left you will see an exceptional example of Joslin's school globe from the 1870's. This is an early version of this globe as Joslin made this 6 inch globe on ebonized stand from the 1870's into the 1890's. They are never dated, you need to know your geography to estimate the date. Condition again of this example is excellent. It brought a hearty $1600 plus premium.  I think that price just goes to show that exceptional condition means everything in the antiques business. I would expect more mediocre examples to bring 1/2 of this price.

Ah.....perhaps my favorite globe in this auction a near mint Geographic educator puzzle globe.  So what price perfection, well in this case an eye popping $1400 plus premium.  Ask yourself, how many of there exist in a complete state....?  Now of those how many still have the box....?   I own this same globe but without box, and with one missing puzzle piece.  These are tough to find in this exceptional condition, again a testament to condition.

  I might have spoken too soon, my white whale. The Andrews 8 inch globe pictured here is an example of the A H. Andrews transition to C. F. Weber.  I bid on one globe in this auction, and this is the globe I bid on.  Did I win....?  No sorry to say this fine globe still eludes me.  I was the under bidder, and if the lucky winner reads this congratulations, you have an exceptional globe!  This particular example was hammered down at $1100 plus premium.  This globe was in fine condition, save for a dime sized abrasion at the north pole. The coloring, and presence of both red and blue isothermal lines are a testament to this globes condition.  I've had 3-4 opportunities to own an Andrews 8 inch globe, and once again I fell short............until next time.

Last but not least I want to showcase a wonderful Hammond's 8 inch globe. Made in the 1920's it is an easily obtainable globe, Finding one in great original condition is key and this example fits the bill. Here is an 80 plus year survivor in wonderful preservation that was sold at a reasonable $350.  Id say the bargain of the globe auction.  It was paired as a lot with another smaller 6 inch Hammonds globe in not so nice shape but even on it's own this was a very fair price to add a great globe to your collection.




So some final thoughts concerning the Neal estate auction.
      Firstly I must say as a first time bidder and an unknown to them, I was treated very well. I had several specific questions about several lots and each time my queries were answered with complete information, and extra pictures. The staff at Neal Auction Company made it very easy to participate, a class act all around.
      Secondly, groups of fine globes as were assembled here are rare at auction, these sales offer the singular best chance a collector has to obtain those rarely obtainable gems that elevate a collection.
   Third, The auction results reviewed here show that great items, that is items in exceptional original condition will always bring high prices. This is true despite outside economic factors, or general taste changes in antique markets. If you buy the best condition you can afford you will not get hurt.
    Finally, I am told that the April 2017 auction will feature some more globes so we will have to keep our eyes open for that event, here is the link direct to Neal Auction Company




****All photographs in this post are courtesy of Neal Auction Company, used with their permission, a special thanks to Neal Alford, and Marc Fagan****

Updated globe most wanted list

    I want to share a list with pictures of 4 globes that have so far eluded me.   I'm going to include pictures when available.  As they say a picture is worth 1000 words! Admittedly the globes listed below are tough to find.   All pictures provided below are my own or publicly accessible examples used by me with permission.

1.   Holbrook 3 inch  or 5 inch hinged globe,  Both sizes were manufactured, below is a picture of the       3 inch version, Schedler, and Andrews also made hinged school globes. I think a hinged school globe is a must in telling the story of the globe in America

2.  Andrews terrestrial globe,  I'm looking for one very nice example of an Andrews terrestrial globe either full mount, or offset mounted,  8 inch,  3 inch,  or 12 inch  just looking for one really nice example  below I have a picture of a nice 8 inch offset mounted Andrews. I missed the perfect one a few months back on eBay but it went to a good home of another collector.......the hunt continues
     ****update 7/18/17:  I was able to add an exceptional example of the AH Andrews companies work to my collection a superb 8 inch example ***

3.  Trippensee tellurion,  You know they come and go all the time on eBay but I just have not found the right mix of age and condition, I'm looking for a wood and brass one probably pre 1935. I'll share a picture below. I'd ideally want the original box and the instruction manual also.  I'm not asking for a lot .......am I .......?

4. A Fitz globe, The most prominent female globe maker , more at this link: Ellen Eliza Fitz, the Fitz globes are a hard to find item, harder still in presentable condition, I've had few if any chances but time is on my side.... I have recently obtained an original Fitz globe manual, printed 1878, I just need the globe to go with it!

I  make this list as part advertisement, certainly but also as an exercise in focus for myself. Keep your eyes on the prize and all.  However if you have or know someone with one of these four beauties who wants to sell, or maybe trade....??  let me know just drop me an email. 

eBay sniping..........sometimes when you play with fire.........

     Well..... you win some and you loose some , that's eBay .  This past week I had something happen that was pretty amazing . I lost an auction by 4 cents thats right $0.04 !!  I guess I always knew it could happen, I just never figured it would happen.   Some losses sting worse than others, Many times you really don't know if the person who beat you was wiling to go a lot higher or they just one by a whisker. But in this case when the max bid is less than a full bid increment you know exactly how close you came.  It's the knowing I think that bothers me.
     Now this was a nice little globe I was bidding on, not terribly high prices but a nice item to own here is a screen shot of the actual auction page.

(my high bid $106.97........almost..)

     The globe in question was a 4 inch Denoyer Geppert teaching globe. A very small tin globe with simplified geography, and a nifty movable meridian with which to easily manipulate the globe during class.  The idea being that each student would have one of these and follow along with the teacher on a larger model.  These being small, inexpensive and tin they did not survive in great numbers, and often times they were dented or scraped or rusted. These were produced starting in the 1920's and continued for more than a decade, this was also an early example 1928 or so.  This auction example was a bit dirty, but otherwise in very nice shape.  Congratulations to the lucky owner , you have a tiny treasure!
     So of course I was sniping, that is sending in a bid at the very last second, so that there is no time to react. The idea of course cuts both ways in that when you snipe you yourself have no time to react either. Now given this will I stop sniping.......?   Ah no!  it's still the only way I'll bid on an item.  It's still always best to bid strong BUT bid at the very last second so nobody can react, it takes the emotion out of it, and when you mix emotion with money the results are often troubled.  So sniping removes the emotional aspect of " auction fever" , always a good thing!

A look back at 2016, a banner year for this collector!

     I started this blog in the spring of 2014 and now 2 1/2 years in and almost 100 posts later I think it's time to take a breath and look back on this past year from a globe collector standpoint.
     This has been a banner year as a collector I have made some wonderful additions and some careful subtractions all in all 7 new globes entered my collection and three globes have exited. Rarely do so many globes enter, and rarely do so many globes exit. A lot of changes for someone who considers finding two globes in any given year good.  I'm going to walk through these changes in the hopes that I learn along the way.
      The year started out on a high note with the acquisition of an exceptional example of Rand McNally's work  through a NY auction, labeled AP Mott Syracuse it was in reality an 1891 McNally globe with a school supply house over label.   This globe posed an interesting problem I was fortunate enough to already own a very nice early Rand McNally so a decision had to be made, do I sell or keep two essentially similar globes....?  Well the realities of space limitations won out and I sold on my other copy of this globe.  Very recently I have discovered that American Globe and School supply ( Seneca Falls) most likely made the stand and horizon ring for this beauty.  The horizon ring is exceptional on this model, a great way to start 2016!


    All was not quiet for long as March rolled around the eBay gods worked their magic and a very nice Geographic educator globe came my way after some spirited bidding, this was a globe that had been a near miss for me for a number of years so it was nice to finally add this petite treasure to my collection.   I am missing the " Columbia" puzzle piece to this globe if you have an extra or have a second educator for parts, drop me a line.






     May would bring with it a rare event for this globe hunter, the chance to score a treasure in my own back yard. A local auction house near Rochester NY had this exceptional globe from the Star Eraser company of Seneca Falls NY in it's upcoming auction.  It is rare that I get the chance to actually see and handle a globe before I buy it but this one was an easy 45 minutes from my house so on preview day I was off to examine this item.  I bid remotely via telephone and did get into a bit of a back and forth with another bidder but I was determined, and in the end quite glad that I was able to own this globe.  This globes provenance included having been part of the collection at Rochester's Strong Museum, a world renowned children's museum!



The next addition to my collection in June 2016 was certainly my favorite. I received as a gift a splendid peerless 6 inch school globe.  This one looked to be unused, it's colors vibrant, and it's metal untarnished. Just a magnificent item. Made remarkably more so by the fact that it was from the 1920's  quite a survivor! These were sold by the thousands for schools to hand out in geography class. I liken it to the cheap plastic recorder I received in music class. Destined to be abused and disrespected this ephemeral globe was not meant to survive.



     August brought with it another eBay find and a mystery as well.  Again after spirited bidding I was the owner of this very nice 8 inch full mount Weber Costello globe.  A very nice globe in it's own right if it were only that, but wait there's more!  The story did not end there because this globe holds a mystery.  This globe has the most curious over label I've ever encountered. It is over labeled for the   (A. H. Andrews company)  Of course Andrews sold their globe making to Weber in the mid 1890's but this was not the demise of the Andrews firm.  From the ashes of Bankruptcy rose a reorganized Andrews, it was this company in the late 1920's that was back at the school furniture game, and along with school furniture globes are not far behind.
     My research surmises that much like any other school supply house of the time Weber Costello was all to happy to sell an over labeled product to Andrews and thus a "new" Andrews globe was created.   This is the only one of these such globes I've seen come up, I'm sure more are out there to be found.

     September brought with it quite a nice find in the wilds of New Hampshire, an estate find Gilman Joslin 6 inch globe dating to the late 1880's a remarkable globe for it's overall condition as well as the great story associated with it's arrival in my collection.   This was Joslin's attempt to make an inexpensive globe for public school use, and indeed they found success with this model.  The orb is quite detailed for 6 inches, and the mounting being a less expensive painted wood instead of stained as was Joslin's traditional base.




      If I had found only 1/2 of the great globes that I did this past year I would have chalked 2016 up as a successful collecting year, but it was a banner year instead as autumn drew to a close one more item was to make it's way into my humble collection.  Probably the most significant find for me of 2016 was a serendipitous accident.  Gilman Joslin's 1846 globe is by a substantial margin my oldest globe. I wrote extensively about this globe recently so I wont belabor the point.  Now this is an 1846 edition, I have just recently found out about a dated 1844 edition that would be significant because of the treatment of Texas on that slightly earlier edition. More research will have to be done.


     OK so that's the hit parade, certainly if every year were as fruitful on the hunt as 2016 then I'd be writing you from a more cramped house, with an angrier spouse!   These 7 globes as a group represent quite a nice collection on their own.  Along with these gems I was also able to find a dizzying amount of globe related catalogs, manuals, and texts. These too are very important ( well at least to me)
      I had a few near misses, and a couple of outright regrets on the collecting front this year that I think are in some ways more important than the scores made.  Most notably earlier this year an exceptionally rare James Wilson 1811 globe trotted itself onto eBay and I was too blind to see it's potential. It was in a substantially shabby condition, but all the critical pieces were present for a successful restoration.  It is this second part that I missed, I did not see the potential in this globe.  Someone smarter than I did see, and I'm sure they have an incredible treasure to show for their knowledge.
     Another missed opportunity came also on eBay ( notice a pattern here) when a rare  5 inch Schedler hinged globe came up for bid.  This particular gem was in remarkable preservation and I missed out to a much more experienced buyer.  At least I was in the hunt on this one bidding strong, but not strong enough. I was not even smart enough to bid on the Wilson globe mentioned above. I watched that one for days only to let it slip by without even a chase........

     I am by nature quite a conservative buyer, rarely do I like to go out on a limb when buying and this sometimes causes me to miss things that I might otherwise like to own.
     Often there is  the matter of cost of acquisition that is not talked about all that much on this blog. I believe that many readers who stumble onto these pages dismiss globe collecting because they think acquiring great globes is far more expensive than it is. ( I refer all of you to my time vs money post)   I will say that the 7 globes I highlighted in this post cost a combined $3,650 to purchase, that is total cost, plus buyers premiums, plus all shipping charges and taxes included.  A substantial sum to many, a drop in the bucket to others. In the context of these globes however I think this was a quite reasonable price to have paid for these great globes. Buying these at a completely retail setting might have cost double that amount or even more. Am I justifying my spending a bit? Maybe but that works out to $70 a week or just over $300 a month.  We all know people who spend $300 or more on vices, or entertainment monthly. Globes to me are both!  Granted most years I spend closer to 1/2 this sum so this hobby is still far less expensive than collecting art, or many other categories of antiques.  Of course as ant collector will tell you past the dollar sum of collecting it's the hunt for these treasures that is the most thrilling part.....!



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A great globe related book find..............or is it a catalog...........?

     OK,  so I've been looking for one of these books for quite a while. It is a publication that amounts to  essentially a 200 plus page ad for the AH Andrews company.  It's title, misleading and not reader friendly;  "A teachers guide to illustration: A manual to accompany Holbrook school apparatus "
     What is that title about.......?   Well as I mentioned it's a well disguised ad for all things Andrews. This is the twelfth edition, also I believe the last edition published from (1873).
     So why is this important...? Well it's a great reference to show how Andrews kept using the Holbrook name, many years after acquisition, and it's a great way to see how advertising was done in the mid 19th century.  It's quite a thing really to read through a book that is disguised essentially as a series of ads one after another for all manner of school apparatus disguised as a teaching guide.

Quite the shabby volume?

   So this is it a small rectangular volume about 8 inches by 5 inches hard bound with a guilt edge.  Inside A H. Andrews peppers the reader with all manner of come ons in an effort to lure your business for it's globes, teaching aids, and so forth. This book is packed with many illustrations that show the various apparatus including globes of course. In fact as a " teachers guide" there is a complete handbook to globes encompassing 83 of the total 211 pages.
     So this tome serves as both globe catalog as well as globe handbook for the combined Andrews/ Holbrook company circa 1873.   If nothing else it is a great " look behind the curtain" at the AH Andrews early years, the very start of Chicago globe making .

     These photos show the catalogue portion of this guide book,  I have obviously focused on the globe offerings but there are small write ups covering several other items in the Andrews repertoire.
    The last photo shows the price list for 1873, this I find fascinating because it is a snap in time. It really gives us insight into what these items cost 150 years ago. I found it strange that the Holbrook's 5 inch globe was $2.25,  but their 6 inch globe was more than double at $5.00 why such a price disparity .......?
     Questions like this are reason enough to find and read this great little guide.   I'll tell you the bit I have read was  pretty good for a sales text.  whoever wrote this was really trying to be informative, and not boring.   What good is a boring advertisement ?
      As I write this post I am completely aware of the fact that there are probably 8 other people in the world who even care that this book exists. Of those 8 probably zero will ever stumble across this post.......oh well perhaps I'll inspire a ninth!



I know your dying to know where you can get your hands on a copy of this wonderful gem!   Fear not!   Amazon.com  has got you covered with a reprint copy $26 hardback  $11 soft cover. Mine is original and was quite a lucky find.  I'll tell you that story now.  I was browsing Abe Books as I do from time to time looking for globe related items and I found buried in the deep reaches of the
site this copy for sale from Galloway Ireland! So I hurried up and ordered lest some other globe afficinado snatch it out from under me.  Truth be told it probably sat in that booksellers inventory for YEARS until I stumbled by. If you too want an original text then  Murray Hudson has a copy of this tome as well and here I that link : Guide to Illustration his edition is a bit older 1868.

     Thank you dear reader for letting me share this little globe tid bit with you I hope you are enjoying your hunt for globe treasures as much as I am!